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When travelling in another country, it's hard not to note some of the quirkier cultural differences. here are some of my observations. I haven't gone out of my way to be politically correct.

I'll keep adding to this list while I'm here.

Useful

Vendors

I have only ever been harassed by street vendors at a popular tourist site.

Police

Most police stations have one English-speaking officer on duty.

Every police officer I have talked to has been friendly and extremely helpful. If you ask them where something is, they will often find an excuse to drive you there, unprompted.

I don't think you can walk for 10 minutes without encountering a police station. They are everywhere.

The sign will often say "Traffic Police", but they carry a pistol, a rifle, and SWAT shields.

The officers that I spoke to had much loyalty to protecting the people of their district, but did not have strong feelings about loyalty to the state. They consider that the job of the military police.

Passports

Any non-trivial exchange with the police will involved them photocopying your passport. This is actually kind of handy, because a condition of the Chinese visa is that you report your location to the police. Hotels do this for you. Hostels may or may not.

You will also be asked for your passport for many other things, such as buying bus/train/plane tickets.

Guard it at all times. I met an Indonesian man who lost his passport, and dealing with the government to reissue his visa took about a week, and may trips to the capitol.

Water

There are no public drinking fountains, because the water is not considered potable (even in most hotels). Instead, boiling water dispensers are very common. I think this is one reason that tea is so ubiquitous here; who wants to drink hot water?

Most hotels provide bottled water and a kettle.

Learn to enjoy Chinese tea. Kind of like Chai, no two are the same.

Locals do not use teabags, they just dump the ingredients in water (it looks like you're drinking pot-pourri).

Unfortunately for once you do acquire a taste for Chinese tea, it is never served strong.

Taxis

Most taxi drivers are kind and helpful, use the meter, and will provide a receipt. Although not expected, I always tips these drivers and usually tell them why.

A few will try to take advantage of foreigners, and charge you more; but at least they will do so before they embark.

If they actually try to rip you off or fight about the fare, find a police officer (there is always one nearby). A threat to be sent to jail will clear up the issue.

You can get a good inter-city rate for a taxi by sharing a taxi. You can do this yourself, ask the cabbie to do so (if in an area where other people going to the destination is likely), or they may just do it themselves.

Buses

Finding the bus station can be tricky, because the buses are in the back, and there isn't any English signage. After a police officer took me to the bus station, I said, "I never would have guess this was the bus station." He replied, "But it says so on the big sign out front??"

Just hop on any bus if you're not at a bus station. Someone will come to get payment eventually. Local trips will generally cost less than 10 RMB, and 25 RMB for inter-city routes is normal.

The bus will not leave a station until every seat has a person on it. If it won't fit overhead, and the bus doesn't have a luggage area underneath, your large pack is going to have to sit on your lap.

In some areas, buses have seat belts, and you are expected/required to use them.

Planes

Mobile phones must be turned off and put away at all times, except while the plane is at the terminal. This is a CAA regulation. Flight mode doesn't count, it has to be off. If you don't, you will be asked to put it away (and they will make sure you do).

This applies to inter-city flights, as well as international flights if the airline is based on China.

Tipping

Tipping is not expected in most circumstances.

I always tip when anyone goes over and above, and it is appreciated.

It is not rude to tell them why, and it encourages good behaviour, and goodwill toward foreigners.

Internet

Yes, websites are heavily censored here. Sometimes this is done at a DNS level; usually the connection attempt just times out.

Everything Google is blocked. Bing search works, but some results will be censored.

VPN services like ExpressVPN do work, but depending on the protocol used, the connection may get dropped regularly.

PPTP, while less secure, does seem to universally work without disruption.

Generally, use of mobile data is uncommon and expensive.

Instead, there is free public wi-fi almost everywhere in urban areas.

Unfortunately, in order to access it, you usually need to authenticate with your Chinese phone number or WeChat account, even at McDonalds.

Some KFCs do not require authentication, and hotels usually do not, so loitering outside was sometimes an option.

I have yet to have a reliable and fast connection.

Strangers

I've heard people remark that Chinese people are not friendly, or even rude. I have never had this be the case, but they do keep to themselves unless interacted with.

As an example, an elderly lady looked overwhelmed by having to carry her luggage down a long flight of stairs at the train station. No one stopped to help her. I motioned to help, and carried them down for her, and she was extremely grateful.

Security

Expect x-rays, metal detectors, and a pat-down everywhere you go. Train stations, bus stations, subway stations, malls, banks; pretty much anywhere people congregate. And they actually do their job.

Gas stations are usually barricaded, and the police will let you in.

Before letting you in, a search of the cabin/trunk is customary. The are looking for firearms, explosives, or anything that could threaten the attendant or other customers.

Passengers must leave the vehicle while it is in the station. Stations have a waiting area with chairs for passengers. I think this is so a group of people do not try to overpower the attendant.

Electricity

Almost all power outlets are universal, and can accommodate North American plugs.

Not all are grounded, so my 3-prong power bar/extention cord was not always useful.

Interesting

In an entire week of travelling all over the country, I have only seen 4 non-Chinese people. It is a reminder of how diverse Canada is; in fact 4.3% of Canadians are of Chinese heritage.

In Sandaoling, my room came with a Mahjong table, complete with tiles. It took me a while to notice, because it was covered with a tablecloth.

The scale by which wind turbine generators are used here makes ours look like a quaint science fair project (in a sense, it is).

KFC is huge here. About as common as Tim Hortons' in Canada.

Fast food restaurants often will present you with a laminated menu with pictures, and you can gesture toward what you want.

Following the death of Mao Tse Tung and the end of the Cultural Revolution, hundreds of millions of Chinese people have been pulled above the poverty line, initiated by the government of Deng Xiaoping in 1978. Then 68%, now only 10% live below the poverty line (as defined by the IMF).

Noteworthy

I've heard people remark that Chinese people are not friendly or rude. I have never had this be the case, but they do keep to themselves unless interacted with.

As an example, an elderly lady looked overwhelmed by having to carry her luggage down a long flight of stairs at the train station. No one stopped to help her. I motioned to help, and carried them down for her, and she was extremely grateful.

Yes, there is Walmart in China.

Although not quite up to the same standards, IHG hotels are very safe bet.

Frustrating

Smoking is still widely allowed everywhere, and ventilation is usually bad. In Beijing, smoking is not allowed indoors, but everyone smells like it, picked up from people smoking outside.

Many non-smoking hotel rooms smell like smoke, and have an ashtray.

Trains (not the bullet ones) wreak of smoke. Very sad for someone who loves riding trains; it makes the experience unenjoyable.

In addition to being heavily censored, hotel wi-fi/wired internet connections are very unreliable and slow.

If you came to see rural China, with lush vegetation, beautiful gardens, and rice paddies, don't come in winter.

The Terracotta Warriors exhibit closes at 4:30pm.

Useless

It is very difficult to suppress the urge so sing Convoy out loud when you see one.

I'm not saying there is a genetic predisposition or anything, but yes, Chinese drivers are awful.